05.09.08 (2)

Oh, yeah....we bought a house. We like it (a lot). We close on the house 06/27/08, so we have some time to prep & move. We will be @ 8811 Eagle Rd. Kirtland, OH 44094.

05.09.08

Okay, I am not as good about the blog as I was....I suppose there is one downfall to working at Rockwell...no more 2am blog posts. Here is a current family shot (all drawn in highlighter, thank you).

...and finally, a pic or two of the bunk & twin beds for Ninah & Cia.

04.29.08

Well, the new job has altered our lives to say the least. Today is week 4 at Rockwell Automation. It has been a pretty wonderful transition from UPS to Rockwell. Comparatively, it is night & day. Considering that I have not been able to have dinner with the family M-F for nearly 3 years and now I can be there every night…that alone was worth the change. We still feel like we are in the honeymoon phase, getting up early, having coffee, making dinner, putting the kids to bed (as a team), and just being able to do what much of the rest of the world can do when they finish their work day.

Rania is doing really well with the pregnancy…we still don’t and won’t know if it’s a boy or girl until he/she comes out in the middle of August. She doesn’t really look pregnant, except for the bump on her belly. Anyhoo, she’s doing well.

Cecilia & Ninah have moved up in the world – at least in their beds. This weekend, we moved the crib out of Cia’s room and replaced it with Ninah’s twin bed. Ninah is now on oak bunk beds with a little bit of history. While we were in Florida on vacation, Dad offered the bunk beds that he slept on as a little boy, Angel slept on, I slept on (when I was there), and I sure a few others….(kids, I mean). So, we are guessing circa 1955 or so…there was a “MARINES looking for a few good men” sticker on there that we could not get off, so it was covered with a “Trees are the answer” sticker…fitting, I think.

Cecilia is adjusting to the new bed….2 nights so far, last night better than the first. Well, that’s the update for now. I will add photos when I can…later……….z

04.17.08

Okay all....Rania is now at week 22 with ~126 days remaining in the pregnancy.

According to the BabyCenter.com, our baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash.

Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out. Your baby's eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. Your baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You won't actually see her first tooth until she's around 4 to 7 months old, unless she's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth.

I'll try to add some more this weekend.............z

04.13.08

Oh my gosh....I have spent some time trying to go through all of the photos and I wish I had been good enough to keep up with the blog while I was on vacation. Alas, no....So, I am simply going to post a bunch of photos from parts of the trip from shots that were on my camera. I realize that these are COMPLETELY out of order....Oh well....z

4.10.08

Okay, I have been terrible about this blog for the last 3-4 weeks but there is good reason. We took a wonderful trip to sunny Florida for 2 weeks (pics to follow shortly). Last Monday, I left the Brown cult (aka UPS) and took an opportunity with Rockwell Automation (sweet!!) as a Manager in Strategic Sourcing (what?). Anyhoo....it's been a bit of a culture shock for me in the best way. We are finally getting our lives back due to the normal schedule and I have actually had dinner with Rania & the kids everyday this week, something I haven't done in over 3 years!!

Alright, I will get to the blog this weekend and post a couple of the pics from Florida.....z

Maple Syrup

We met with the Byrnes at the Farmparks today to learn how to make maple syrup. Well, we watched how they make it in a hugemongus steamer thing (yeah, I missed the name of it during the demonstration - too busy taking pictures). So, below we have the sap bucket in the Maple tree...40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup (sold for $42.00 at the store). I think Rania will have me tapping the sugar Maples soon. It was pretty cool....The steaming machine below is fueled by wood and flows out the sugary sweetness once it hits 179 degrees. I dipped Cecilia's pha-phu (pacifier) in it and she loved it.

After the steaming syrup machine display, we took a wander to taste the free pancakes..then off to see the new baby lambs which were very very cute. I never knew that they liked to sleep & stand on their mothers...
Check out the big mama pig down below...who couldn't love a face like that?..................z

3.13.08

Our 17 week old unborn child is now about the size of a turnip. He/She can move his/her joints, and skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone...and now is about 5oz.

So, I tried to take a picture....this is the best one I could get. Still don't know if it's a boy or a girl.

3.12.08

The pics above are from Ninah & I going snowshoeing with Sasha from last weekend. Ninah did awesome! I am serious, she made it up some really tough hills and told me she was not going to give up until she made it to the top. Sasha is so at home in the snow that she actually likes to lay down and rest in it.

We have had a few busy days for sure....Over the weekend, we accumulated 14-16" of snow..Sasha the dog got lost and ended up a couple of towns over. A very nice lady picked her up right at the top of our driveway and took her to her sister's house where Sasha spent the night. I looked for her until 2:30am and then again in the morning after calling nearly all the residents in our neighborhood. Anyhow, she was at Dina & John's house in Chesterland. I picked her up, picked up the cake for Ninah's party and came home to have the Princess & Pirate party. Which was great! It all made for a very exciting weekend.

Rania did an awesome job of activities at the party, there was a trasure hunt ending with a treasure pinyatta (spelling?), treasure chest decorating, cake, ice cream, musical chairs (which was hilarious), drawing, and of course the dress-up. The snow storm reduced the party in 1/2 but it was great. Ninah was so very excited.

Left to Right...Cecilia, Patrick, Josie, Ninah, & Ella.

Below....Um, nice snowsuit, Cia......

...Sasha looking down at me after I took a 25 foot jump into the snow filled ravine on the property. I jumped down and called her to follow me, she just looked at me like I was an idiot. I kinda was...but it sure was fun. I love snowshoeing, so does Sasha.......z